Options for Australians wanting to book Princess

[elena7seas]

I have a friend in Australia who wants to book a 28 night cruise on the Emerald Princess for next summer. It seems that the prices being quoted to her by an Australian agency are much higher than what it would cost if she were able to book with a US agency.

 

Her Australian agency is telling her that she is not allowed to book with a US or Canadian agency.

 

Can anyone tell me what the booking options are for Australians? Would the price for an Australian booking with an Australian agency be more than the same cruise would be if booked by a US citizen with a US agency? I'm just trying to provide her with some information, and she's not comfortable posting on Cruise Critic herself.

 

Thanks for any help that you can provide.

Edited August 13, 2014 by elena7seas

[Bizziecruzer]

Correct she is not able to book via the USA and yes prices in the USA are usually cheaper than in Australia. However you have to take a gamble with the exchange rates. It is the cruise companies that do not allow the bookings, not the travel agents.

She can however make a booking using your address instead of her Australian address. :D

Some travel agents will use scare tactics saying that you will be denied boarding, I have never heard of anyone being denied boarding for this reason.

As I have previously booked with a US TA before this ruling was enforced I can book with them without an issue. New customers cannot.

I hope your friend books.

[elena7seas]

Correct she is not able to book via the USA and yes prices in the USA are usually cheaper than in Australia. However you have to take a gamble with the exchange rates. It is the cruise companies that do not allow the bookings, not the travel agents.

She can however make a booking using your address instead of her Australian address. :D

Some travel agents will use scare tactics saying that you will be denied boarding, I have never heard of anyone being denied boarding for this reason.

As I have previously booked with a US TA before this ruling was enforced I can book with them without an issue. New customers cannot.

I hope your friend books.

 

Thanks Bizziecruzer.

 

Can you please tell me how long this "no-booking-by-US-agencies" ruling has been in place?

[rkmw]

Thanks Bizziecruzer.

 

Can you please tell me how long this "no-booking-by-US-agencies" ruling has been in place?

 

we made friends with a US couple and they said that we could use their address to make a princess booking but their TA said no as they wouldnt get the commission so we use an australian agent now

 

that ruling has been in place approx 5 years

[CCFC]

Doesn't the Australian price include tips (as its not what they/we do) hence the dearer price.

[bronte2]

Doesn't the Australian price include tips (as its not what they/we do) hence the dearer price.

 

The inclusive tip fares only apply to the Australian based ships such as Sun, Sea and Dawn Princess where the onboard currency is AUD. (Actually, I'm not sure about Sun now as she has been sailing in Asia). On all other Princess ships regardless of whether or not you book from Australia you are charged the daily gratuities to your onboard account.

[Bizziecruzer]

Also as an aside - cancellation policies are better when booked through the US and US TA's give OBC and that's rare for Oz TA's to do this unless it's being offered by the cruise line.

[rkmw]

Also as an aside - cancellation policies are better when booked through the US and US TA's give OBC and that's rare for Oz TA's to do this unless it's being offered by the cruise line.

 

if you use an FCC aussies get the same cancellation policies as the US people and you always get OBC either from the cruise line or both if using a TA if its being offered

[Mal2105]

It has long been a practice of aust branches of shipping and tour companies to make huge gains on pricing through highly inflated exchange rates. Shop around and if you have contacts in the US use them!

 

 

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[elena7seas]

Correct she is not able to book via the USA and yes prices in the USA are usually cheaper than in Australia. However you have to take a gamble with the exchange rates. It is the cruise companies that do not allow the bookings, not the travel agents.

She can however make a booking using your address instead of her Australian address. :D

Some travel agents will use scare tactics saying that you will be denied boarding, I have never heard of anyone being denied boarding for this reason.

As I have previously booked with a US TA before this ruling was enforced I can book with them without an issue. New customers cannot.

I hope your friend books.

 

Apparently it is a very big, unpleasant deal if US TA's get caught knowingly using North American addresses for Australians. They can apparently be cut off from booking Carnival Corporation ships, so it would not be something that most US TA's would do knowingly, I think.

 

It has been very helpful to get all the information that was passed along here, and I will send it on to my friend in Australia.

 

Thanks again, everyone.:D

[muddles@sea]

My Brother in law is based in SF. Can he book for us using his credit card?

[Bizziecruzer]

My Brother in law is based in SF. Can he book for us using his credit card?

Yes he can:D

[elena7seas]

Yes he can:D

 

My friend has a brother here in Vancouver. If her brother books for her, using her and her husband's names, but uses his address and credit card, are you saying that it is okay? Princess is okay with this?

 

Please pardon me for saying so, but doesn't this put the travel agent in jeopardy? Is there any chance, no matter how remote, that the Australian couple would not be allowed to board, when they produce their Australian passports.

 

Thanks.

[Colo Cruiser]

I would think that the agency would be well aware of any ramifications.

[rkmw]

My friend has a brother here in Vancouver. If her brother books for her, using her and her husband's names, but uses his address and credit card, are you saying that it is okay? Princess is okay with this?

 

Please pardon me for saying so, but doesn't this put the travel agent in jeopardy? Is there any chance, no matter how remote, that the Australian couple would not be allowed to board, when they produce their Australian passports.

 

Thanks.

 

as Colo cruiser said if the US TA is not getting the commission they wont take the booking

 

if your friend has cruised with princess before and once the TA puts in the past passenger details it will come up with your details thats why we couldnt book using our friends US address as our details are from australia

[elena7seas]

as Colo cruiser said if the US TA is not getting the commission they wont take the booking

 

if your friend has cruised with princess before and once the TA puts in the past passenger details it will come up with your details thats why we couldnt book using our friends US address as our details are from australia

 

Sorry, I'm a little confused again. :) How would it be that the US travel agent would not be getting the commission?

 

My Australian friends have cruised before, but not with Princess. Her brother, who lives here in Vancouver, has not cruised with Princess either.

 

I was just trying to wrap my head around the earlier post where a poster said it would be okay for an Australian national to book through her brother-in-law who is posted to a SFO air base, using his credit card. I was just wondering how this would be permissible.

Edited August 15, 2014 by elena7seas

[rkmw]

Sorry, I'm a little confused again. :) How would it be that the US travel agent would not be getting the commission?

 

My Australian friends have cruised before, but not with Princess. Her brother, who lives here in Vancouver, has not cruised with Princess either.

 

I was just trying to wrap my head around the earlier post where a poster said it would be okay for an Australian national to book through her brother-in-law who is posted to a SFO air base, using his credit card. I was just wondering how this would be permissible.

 

princess wants australians to book with a local agent and in 2010 we could book with a US agent but princess have stopped that unless you booked prior to 2010

 

get a quote off the US agent and see what they say and they maybe ok seeing they havent cruised with princess before

[woodyren]

I would suggest an alternative would be to book with one of the cruise companies that do let you choose whatever country is giving you the best deal. Maybe then Princess will stop their predatory pricing policy for Aussies.

[Aramis]

Do a search of prices get the best and go to MULTIPLE travel agents including interstate ( my first cruise booked was from a TA in Western Australia and we live in Victoria) and request the prices based on the lowest options for what you want, I have done it and it works, business is business.

 

ps: no TA'S where hurt in this advertisement lol